With the major parties so unpopular, there is a growing interest in
having a third-party candidate run for president. Indeed, a group called
Americans Elect has made some headway
at getting an alternative presidential candidate on the ballot in all
states, and a panel of experts at the Institute of Politics believe a
third-party candidate would have a better chance of winning than ever
before. . . .

It's
obvious by the polling data that Americans are largely dissatisfied with
the quality of candidates in the two party system. And more
importantly, the notion that everyone will find a president they like if
only given two choices is absurd. There are usually more than two ways
of looking at a issue, and there should be more than two legitimate
options when it comes to choosing who will arguably become the most
powerful person in the world.

Even so, I don't expect to see two-party dominance end anytime
soon. While there have been isolated incidences of third-party success, the odds are just too stacked against them. For instance, it's difficult for candidates outside the major parties to raise money and get media attention . . . However, the biggest challenge for third parties is the idea that voting
for them will be a "wasted" vote. This is because candidates who aren't
Republicans or Democrats rarely win, so voting for an alternative party
often makes it feel like your vote doesn't matter. The best way to address this flaw would be to install instant runoff voting . . .